


The Things You Don't Know

by Miko no da (Miko)



Category: Weiß Kreuz
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-01-01
Updated: 2003-01-01
Packaged: 2018-03-09 19:21:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3261452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miko/pseuds/Miko%20no%20da
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Youji has a few things to learn about Ken. Written by request for Jan. </p><p>(Posting OLD fics off my defunct website)</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Things You Don't Know

"Double date?"

Ken stared at Youji in shock, certain he'd misheard the older man. The flower shop was empty except for the four of them, for once. He was seated at the table, working on an arrangement, his fingers frozen in the stems of the blooms. Youji leaned nonchalantly against the table, arms crossed and one brow raised in a lazy expression.

"Yes, a double date," the playboy repeated. "They're college students on exchange from Britain. Julia agreed to go with me, but only if her friend could come and I found her a date. They're both drop dead gorgeous, Ken. You'll have a blast, trust me."

Ken stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "You want ME to go on a double date, so that YOU can get into the pants of yet another girl? Forget it. It's not like you have any lack of other possible dates for the weekend!"

Youji sighed dramatically. "You don't understand. She's not just ANY girl. She's fantastic. Beyond belief. And her friend Mona is almost as good. Besides, you haven't gone on a date since Yuriko left for Australia. It's about damn time you got out there again!"

The ex-goalie flushed a furious shade of red. "And just who's fault is that?" he muttered under his breath. "I'd be in Australia WITH her if not for..." he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. It wasn't Youji's fault, not really, and they both knew it.

"So let me make it up to you," Youji wheedled. "C'mon, just say yes. You'll love her, I'm sure of it. She's just your type."

"How the hell do YOU know what my 'type' is, Youji?" Ken demanded, incensed. "The answer is still 'no'. Try Aya or Omi."

"You KNOW Aya would take my head off for asking... and Omi's too young for them." It was clear that the playboy was desperate. "I'll do anything, Ken. Take all your shifts in the shop this week. Do all your chores. Anything!"

Ken eyed him speculatively. "She's that gorgeous, huh?" he murmured, pretending to think it over. Youji nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, she really is. And she's sweet, too. You won't regret this, Ken..."

"Hold on," Ken interrupted him. "I haven't said yes. I don't care what you offer, I'm not going on a blind date just so you have a chance at getting laid."

Youji looked at him imploringly, but Ken just glared. Finally the older man's eyes lit on a pack of cards Omi had been using to play solitaire earlier, and his eyes lit up. "I'll bet you," he offered, holding up the deck. "Anything you like. If I win, you go on the date with me and the girls."

Ken eyed the pack of cards with a considering air. There were, he reflected, a few things Youji didn't know about him. Slowly a wicked smile spread across his face. "Okay," he agreed, surprising the other man. "Five card stud, two draws of up to three cards each, no wild cards. I deal - I don't trust you not to stack the deck. And if I win..."

He paused, and the look on his face apparently made Youji nervous. "If I win," he repeated, drawing it out, "you go on a date with me. JUST me. Anywhere I want to go." His eyes sparkled as Youji's jaw dropped, and even Omi and Aya on the other side of the shop dropped what they were doing and stared openly at him.

"You're just trying to find something that will embarrass me so much I won't take the bet," Youji accused him. Ken tilted his head and let the other man think what he wanted. "All right, you're on. Shuffle the cards, Hidaka... and start planning what you're going to wear to impress the girls."

Ken grinned, slipping the cards out of the box and riffling them expertly between his hands. Youji's eyes narrowed as he saw the way Ken handled the deck. Ken smiled innocently back at him, and used every trick he'd ever learned from Kase to stack the deck in his favour. Youji frowned, but said nothing - Ken's movements had been too fast for him to follow, apparently. This was going to be so much fun.

He dealt the hand, giving Youji a pair of jacks and a king, plus a four and a six. His own hand held two queens and three extraneous cards. Youji of course discarded the low cards, and Ken dealt him another king and a seven. He dropped his own three low cards, getting the other two queens and a two.

Youji traded the seven, of course, hoping for the full house. Ken let him have it, giving him a third king. Ken traded his two just for appearances, and got a ten. "All right, Youji... the moment of truth," he said, still grinning at his now confident teammate.

Youji spread his cards on the table, clearly tasting triumph within his grasp. "Full house, kings high. Figured out what you're gonna wear yet?"

"I know exactly what I'm going to wear. What I haven't figured out yet is where I want to go," Ken replied, smirking. He dropped his own cards face down on the table. "Four of a kind... I guess the ladies are favouring me today, hmm?"

Youji stared at the winning hand in utter disbelief. "You... you cheated," he accused Ken weakly. The ex-goalie shrugged.

"Prove it," he replied. "If you really thought I was cheating, you should have asked Omi or Aya to deal. Claiming cheating AFTER I win is just being a sore loser, Youji."

"He's right, Youji-kun," Omi chimed in, no longer making even a pretence of ignoring the challenge. "You lost fair and square. Though I think I need to get Ken-kun to teach me his way of shuffling cards, it's much more impressive than mine." The barely suppressed snicker in Omi's voice told Ken that his best friend, at least, hadn't missed Ken stacking the deck.

"Kase taught me," Ken said, winking at Omi. "I'd be happy to show you. Right after my date with Youji."

"You can't really be serious!" Youji blurted out, staring at him. "You're going to hold me to that?"

Ken raised a sardonic eyebrow at him. "Are you trying to say you wouldn't have held me to the terms of the bet if I'd lost?"

"Well, no, but that's... that's different," Youji sputtered. "I thought you were bluffing! Why the hell would you want to go on a date with me?"

"To make you squirm with embarrassment, obviously," Ken retorted. "The same way I would have been squirming if I'd been forced to go on a double date with you. Pay up, Kudou, you lost the bet."

"All right, all right!" Youji conceded with ill grace. "I'll go on a damn date with you. This is going to be the END of my reputation. When? Tonight?"

Ken rose from the table. "No time like the present," he agreed. "I'm gonna go get changed... I'll meet you in the garage in an hour. Dress to impress, Youji... I expect a show, or I'll think of something even WORSE as a forfeit." Letting that threat ring in the playboy's ears, Ken slipped out the door and headed for his apartment.

 

* * *

Ken hadn't worn his clubbing gear since his J-League days - it was still tucked away in his trunk under his bed, in fact. Clubbing by himself had never appealed to him, and so he'd never bothered to unpack his sexier clothes. Despite that, they still fit him well, he thought, admiring himself in the mirror.

Practically skipping down the stairs, he felt more light-hearted than he had in a long time. He'd been lusting after Youji for a very long time indeed... well, truth be told, he'd been lusting after all his teammates. He'd never made any secret of the fact that he was bi, though he certainly hadn't advertised it. Youji's reaction to discovering Aya and Omi's relationship had given Ken hope... the playboy had looked surprised, then shrugged it off with a sincere "I hope you guys are happy." There had been no sign of the disgust or revulsion that society in general demanded.

Now, if only Youji himself wasn't hopelessly straight... Ken was of the firm opinion that the playboy was in denial. The question was, how MUCH in denial? Maybe Ken could shake a few of his carefully cherished illusions tonight.

Omi and Aya were still in the shop when he entered, going through the nightly closing ritual. Omi saw him first, and stopped what he was doing to stare openly at his best friend, jaw halfway to his chest. Ken posed deliberately in the doorway, knowing he looked good and deciding to show off a little. The skin-tight PVC zip-up sleeveless shirt he wore showed off the muscles in his torso in a way his usual loose shirts and baggy sweaters never would. The equally skin-tight leather pants didn't hurt, either, nor did the fact that the zipper of the shirt was halfway undone. He was an athlete, after all, and he had an athlete's body... no sense in not displaying his assets.

"K-ken-kun," Omi stuttered, drawing Aya's attention to the door as well. The redhead gave him an appreciative once-over, a look Ken had certainly never thought to draw from him. Omi had apparently been a good influence on him. Or a corrupting one, depending on your point of view.

"You like it, Omi?" Ken asked his friend wickedly. Omi blushed faintly and nodded, still staring.

"You, uh..." Omi swallowed. "You look really good in black, Ken-kun," the younger man murmured.

Aya chuckled, moving to rest his hands on his lover's shoulders. Ken didn't blame him - Omi looked a little faint. "Youji certainly has a surprise in store for him," the swordsman agreed with his partner.

Ken grinned back at them. "Yeah, well, that's what I'm hoping. Where is he, anyway?"

Omi suddenly snickered. "Right behind you, actually," he choked out, leaning on the broom to support himself. Ken spun in surprise, and sure enough Youji stood frozen on the third step, staring down at Ken. Ken smirked up at him, and stretched casually.

"Well?" he asked, as Youji's eyes nearly bugged out. "Are you ready to go, or what?" The playboy was dressed in his usual outfit of tight slacks and a crop top, with a long trench coat open over top. No surprises there, but it was certainly pleasant to look at. Ken was more than happy to do the looking.

"I'm ready," Youji replied, jolted back to life by Ken's words. "Are we taking my car?"

"Unless you want to ride on the back of my bike," Ken agreed. Which, come to think of it, might be fun, but he didn't want to shock Youji TOO much. At least, not at first. Damn, tonight was really going to be fun!

Ken slid into the leather seat of the expensive roadster that Youji drove, sighing in contentment. He didn't often get to ride in Youji's car, but it was always a treat. "So, where are we going?" Youji demanded sourly as he dropped into the driver's seat and started the engine.

Ken sighed and gave him a doleful look. "Honestly, Youji, can't you at least pretend you're having fun? Is it that much of a hardship to be forced to spend a night out with me?" He shook his head. "Hell, you've been trying to get me to go clubbing with you since you met me!"

"I wanted to take you clubbing so you could meet some pretty girls," Youji explained with exaggerated patience. "We HAD a chance to go out tonight with some very pretty girls, and you're making me miss it!"

"Deal with missing it, Kudou," Ken replied. "You'll survive the experience, I'm sure. As for where we're going... I'm a little out of touch with the current clubs in Tokyo. Does the Raven still exist?"

Youji choked. "The Raven? Do you have any idea what people will think if we go THERE?"

"Youji," it was Ken's turn to employ exaggerated patience, "we're two guys going to a bar together. If we go to a straight club, we'll probably get our asses handed to us. Unless you want to get into a fight, we're gonna have to go to the Raven or somewhere like it."

It was clear that the playboy didn't much like the thought, but he didn't seem to be able to come up with a good answer. "How the hell do you even know about that place, anyway?" Youji asked, putting the car in drive and pulling out of the alley behind the Koneko.

Ken shrugged. "Kase and I used to go there all the time. It was our favourite hang out while we were in J-League." The cat was out of the bag, so to speak... he'd as good as admitted he and Kase had been lovers. Now to see how Youji took the bait.

He took it rather well, actually. Just a sidelong glance at his passenger, before he returned his eyes to the road. He got extra points for not asking the obvious, too. "You didn't strike me as the kind of guy to enjoy someplace like that," he said instead. Ken smirked at him.

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Youji... including how well I play cards, apparently. Just because I'm the eternal 'Nice Guy' doesn't mean I don't like to have fun once in a while." He paused, and then added more quietly, "I just haven't felt much like it since losing J-League."

They drove in silence for a long moment, Ken studying Youji from the corner of his eyes. "This could have been a lot worse, you know," he offered at last, startling the older man.

"Oh?" Youji didn't sound convinced. "How?"

"I could have asked you to take me to an amusement park or something like that."

Youji arched an eyebrow at him. "How exactly would that be worse than going to a gay bar, Ken? This is going to kill my reputation if it ever gets out."

"And being seen in a public place on a date with another guy wouldn't?" Ken retorted. "At least at the Raven you're not likely to run into anyone who knows you."

Youji considered that. "Well, true," he finally conceded, and his expression lightened a bit. "I have to admit, I've always wondered what the inside of a place like that is like."

Eyes sparkling, Ken bit back a grin and a smart reply. Curiosity was definitely a step in the right direction. "Nothing like as sordid as I'm sure you're imagining," he said instead. "It's pretty much like a normal club... just a lot fewer girls. Except for the ones who're there together, but clubbing seems to be more of a guy thing."

"I suppose there's no point in trying to get a date with any of them," Youji sighed mournfully. Ken snickered.

"Not the girls, no. The guys, on the other hand..."

Youji freed one hand to swat at him in irritation. "Don't even say things like that, it's bad karma. I don't flirt with guys."

"Oh?" Ken gave him a sardonic look. "What do YOU call the way you tease Omi, then?" Youji, unexpectedly, flushed.

"That's not flirting," he defended himself a bit too vehemently. "I just like making him blush, that's all. He's so easy to fluster."

Ken settled back into his seat, pleased. "Sure. And I suppose the fact that Omi is sexiest when he's blushing never crossed your mind," he teased, grinning.

The red on Youji's cheeks deepened a bit, though it was difficult to see in the darkness of the night. "Of course not. That's the sort of thing Aya would notice... and you, apparently."

Shrugging, Ken dropped it. Youji looked uncomfortable, and Ken didn't want to push him too far too fast. They pulled into the parking lot nearest the Raven, and got out of the car.

Thankfully, although the Raven was popular among its particular subset, it wasn't crowded enough that there was a long line outside. They got in easily, emerging from the cool, crisp night air into the warm, pounding dim atmosphere of the club. The colour scheme inside was unrelieved black - sable silk on the walls, ebony leather on the seats, carpeting the colour of the midnight sky, and polished obsidian on the dance floor. Ken and Youji blended right in with the rest of the dark-clad club-goers. Ken let the beat of the music wash over him, and felt his spirits rise. It had been far too long since he'd been out dancing, damn it.

Youji glanced around curiously. "Looks pretty much like a normal club," he said in an undertone to Ken. His eyes landed on the dance floor, and Ken thought the older man blushed faintly again. "Well, except for that," he amended, hastily averting his eyes from the couples gyrating together under the lights. Most of the men out there were not being subtle about seducing their partners, Ken had to admit. One couple near the side was enough to make even him blush... he couldn't see their hands, but he had a good idea where they might be.

"Shall we get a drink?" he suggested, feeling a need for something to cool him off. Youji nodded, and they headed for the bar.

Once they'd gotten their drinks, they found a booth and sat sipping the cool beverages for a moment. The music was loud enough that it was difficult to talk, so Ken just sat and enjoyed the sight of Youji. The playboy had tilted his head back so he could press his glass against his neck, letting the iced drink cool him down. Drops of condensation from the glass slid slowly over the man's long, tanned neck, and Ken took a hasty gulp of his own drink. Youji was sexy even when he wasn't trying to impress someone - maybe even sexier.

"So, we're here," Youji leaned over to shout at him. "Now what?"

Ken shrugged, lounging in his own chair. "Pretend I'm a girl. What would you do next?"

Youji gave him an odd look that Ken couldn't interpret. "If there's one thing I'd never do, it's mistake you for a girl, Ken," the playboy replied. "But I see your point. Well, I suppose I'd probably suggest dancing."

Ken grinned and drained the last of his drink. "Dancing it is, then." Before Youji could protest that he hadn't actually meant it as an invitation, Ken had grabbed his hand and dragged him up out of his chair and onto the dance floor.

Once out there, the older man sighed and gave in to the inevitable. Ken didn't try to push him by dancing too closely... he stayed far enough away to let Youji cling to the illusion that he was just dancing at a normal club. Of course, the other patrons weren't so considerate - he saw Youji wince a couple of times when an intrepid dancer got close enough to brush against him. Ken stifled his laughter with an effort, and danced just a little closer to let people know that Youji was most definitely NOT available.

Ken was enjoying himself, and as the influence of the music took him, Youji seemed to get into it as well. After half an hour of dancing, they were thirsty again, and headed back to the bar for another round.

This time they found a somewhat quieter corner that would actually allow them to talk without straining their voices. "Never thought you'd be such a good dancer," Youji remarked idly as he sipped at his drink.

Ken rolled his eyes. "I swear... why are people always so surprised when I'm good at dancing or that sort of thing? I was a star J-League goalie... you don't get into J-League by being clumsy or uncoordinated." He rested his glass against his cheeks, welcoming the coolness. It was hot in the room, as it always was in clubs like this. Watching Youji dancing hadn't helped his internal temperature, either. Damn, if only he dared to get the man drunk... but that wasn't how he wanted it. If he DID manage to get Youji into bed, he didn't want the older assassin to be able to claim afterwards that he hadn't really wanted it. He wanted no misunderstandings between them.

Still... he was going to have to do SOMEthing to loosen Youji up a bit. The older man still hadn't really relaxed, not enough for Ken to feel bold enough to make a move. He still hadn't had any brilliant ideas when Youji stood a few moments later. "I'll be right back," the older man said, heading for the corridor that led to the bathrooms. Ken chewed his straw and watched him go.

"Well, well..." a familiar voice came from behind him as a heavy hand clapped down on his shoulder. "Never thought I'd see you here again, Hidaka. Hell, I heard you were dead!"

Ken glanced up over his shoulder to see Furuya Toshiyuki standing over him. The older man was a regular at this club, and had been for many years - he was known as the person to go to if you wanted any 'exotic toys' to make your evening at the club more interesting. Ken and Kase had been somewhat regular customers of his when they had frequented this club, and they had developed a friendly relationship over time. Ken grinned widely, standing and grabbing the other man's arm in a firm clasp. "Furuya! No, I'm not dead, though it was a damn near thing."

"Kase here with you? I haven't seen him in years, either," Furuya commented, glancing around for Ken's customary other half. Ken hid a grimace.

"No, Kase and I haven't been together since the disaster in J-League," he told the other man, sitting down again and gesturing for Furuya to join him. The older man took over Youji's seat, raising an eyebrow at the second glass.

"Doesn't look like you're here alone, though. Is he cute?"

Ken sighed and toyed with his straw again, poking at the ice in his glass. "Gorgeous beyond belief. But he thinks he's straight. He's only out with me tonight because I won a bet. I can't figure out how to loosen him up, though... short of getting him drunk and seducing him, but that would only get me a one-time thing and it would make things bloody awkward later. We've got to work together, you know?" He sighed again, stabbing viciously at one innocent block of ice.

Furuya gave him a sympathetic look. "Sounds like you've got it bad, Hidaka," he commiserated. "Hey, if there's anything I can do to help, let me know."

Ken blinked as a wicked image popped into his brain from one of his more frequent fantasies. "You know," he said slowly, a delighted grin spreading over his face. "I think there just might be."

 

* * *

Youji made his way back from the bathrooms, trying not to think too hard about the noises he'd heard coming from a couple of the stalls. Making a mental note not to drink any more so he wouldn't need to use the facilities again, he emerged back into the main room of the club and headed for their table. Ken was still sitting there, toying with the last of his drink and watching the dancers. Youji slid into his seat with a grimace. "You could have warned me about the damn bathrooms, Hidaka."

Ken turned and blinked at him, apparently honestly bewildered for a moment. Then realization hit, and his eyes filled with silent amusement. "Oops. Sorry about that... I forgot how bad it is here."

Youji shook his head. "I am so going to make you pay for this night, Ken. Is this honestly your idea of fun?"

The brunette shrugged. "It would be more fun if you would just relax and enjoy yourself," he admitted. "Are you really that miserable?"

"This isn't exactly my idea of a great night out, Ken!" Youji said, leaning back in his chair and scowling. "There's hardly any girls here, and the ones that ARE here aren't interested in flirting with ME, that's for damn sure. Why would you think I would be enjoying this? You know I'm straight."

Ken rolled his eyes. "Most people aren't as straight as they'd like to believe." When Youji made a disbelieving noise, the soccer player scooted his chair closer to the playboy and pointed across the dance floor. "Look, over there. The guy with the long bleached hair, in the red and black leather... can you honestly tell me that you don't find him in the least attractive?"

Trying to ignore the fact that Ken's movement had pressed their bodies together from shoulder to hip, Youji leaned in to try to follow that pointing finger. He caught a glimpse of the man Ken was speaking of, and spent a moment just looking, trying to analyse his own feelings. The man was in his mid-twenties, lean and undeniably gorgeous. He was androgynous, his beauty neither masculine nor feminine, and if he was being honest with himself Youji had to admit he could see the appeal. "Well, maybe," he admitted reluctantly. "But he's the next thing to a girl, anyway."

Ken dropped the arm he'd been pointing with, and it ended up pressed against Youji's on the table. Youji started to shift away - and jumped when something solid clamped down over his arm, closing around it with a grip of velvet lined steel.

"Gotcha, Hidaka!" a stranger crowed from behind them both. Youji jerked around to look at him, and cursed when the action nearly pulled Ken's shoulder out of the socket. The object that had been clamped around his forearm was a restraint of some kind - it reached from his wrist nearly to his elbow, and the other half was attached firmly to Ken's arm.

"What the HELL?" Youji blurted out, tugging at his captive arm. The metal casing was loose enough to allow him to turn his arm within it, but only barely. There was no way he would be able to get his arm out.

"Furuya, you ass!" Ken glared at the stranger, tugging at his own half of the cuffs. "What are you doing?"

The tall man laughed down at them. "Just paying you back for the last prank you pulled on me, Hidaka. Don't worry... if you still haven't managed to get out of them by tomorrow, I'll give you the key. My number hasn't changed."

Ken took a swipe at the man with his free hand, but missed when Youji inadvertently pulled him off balance. Furuya dodged and vanished into the crowd, his laughter lingering behind him.

Youji looked at their bound arms in dismay. "What the FUCK was that all about?" he demanded of his 'date'. Ken had the grace to look abashed.

"He's someone I used to know when Kase and I came here. I guess he was still holding a grudge..." the brunette flushed and tried to raise his hand to scratch the back of his head in embarrassment. Since his hand was currently attached to Youji's, the action merely pulled them both into each other. They righted themselves hastily, Ken blushing and Youji scowling.

"Here, lift your arm," the former PI instructed, and twisted their arms around so that he could get a good look at the lock on the cuffs. It was an awkward position to hold, and his shoulder was screaming at him after only a few moments. From the look on Ken's face, the younger man wasn't faring much better. The lock wasn't terribly complicated, but it was more than Youji would be able to pick with the use of only one hand. "Fucking hell! I can't pick it." He fumbled in his jacket pocket for his cell phone.

"What are you doing?" Ken asked as their arms dropped back down to the table.

"Calling Omi," Youji replied with a snarl, punching in the youngest Weiss member's number from memory. "He'll be able to get us out of this."

"Uh, Youji..." Ken said as the phone began to ring in Youji's ear. Normally Omi grabbed his phone immediately, but it continued to ring as the brunette spoke. "Omi and Aya went up to Villa White this weekend, remember? They would have left right after we did. Do you REALLY think Omi's going to be answering his phone right now?"

Youji stared at him, dumbfounded at the reminder, just as the phone finally clicked and an irritated-sounding voice came over the line. "This had better be VERY good, Youji," Omi growled. The playboy gulped... Omi only dropped the '-kun' when he was extremely irritated with them, and given the situation he'd undoubtedly pulled the boy from...

"Err..." Youji coughed and fought a blush at the mental image his mind wanted to produce. "Suman, bishounen... I forgot you two were going up to the Villa this weekend. Eto... Ken and I have a bit of a problem. We've just been handcuffed together, and I can't pick the damn lock."

There was a pause on the other end, and despite the pounding music in the club Youji thought he could hear Omi's incredulous snort. He certainly heard it when the boy began to laugh. "Sorry," Omi replied after a moment, still snickering. "I'm sorry, Youji-kun, but..." he trailed off into laughter again.

Ken was watching him with wide eyes, and Youji glared back at him. This was all Ken's fault, anyway... for dragging him out to this gods-be-damned club, for whatever misbegotten prank had earned him this retaliation... "Laugh all you like, Omi, just please come and let us LOOSE."

"Not on your life," Omi replied somewhat heatedly. "Aya and I never get time to ourselves - you know we've been planning this trip for weeks! I'll be back tomorrow evening; if you haven't gotten out by then, I'll pick the lock for you. Until then, it's not going to kill you to be stuck to Ken-kun's side for a day. Now, if you'll excuse me..." the smirk in his voice was obvious even over the noise, "Aya is getting a bit frantic."

The phone disconnected before Youji had a chance to say anything else... not that he was certain just WHAT he would have said in response to that. His mental image of the youngest Weiss as 'sweet, naive and innocent' had undergone an abrupt 180 when the boy had gotten together with Aya. Damn it, no one with eyes that big and guileless should be capable of saying things like that in such a tone of voice.

"I take it Omi refused?" Ken asked dryly, raking at his hair with his free hand. "I can't believe he even answered the phone..."

Youji sighed and dropped his phone back into his pocket. "Yeah, he refused. Fuck. What the hell are we going to do now?"

Ken shrugged. "Well, I mean, it's not the end of the world. It's not like we're strangers on a first date or something. It could be worse... at least it's your right arm that's stuck." He nodded obliquely at Youji's watch. It wasn't likely they'd be attacked in the next twenty-four hours, but Ken couldn't fight well while tied down like this, and if Youji's wire had been inaccessible they would have been far too vulnerable. Not that it wouldn't be awkward for him to use it while shackled to Ken like this, but at least it was possible.

"So I guess we're heading home, then?" Youji asked, wondering how the HELL they were going to sleep like this. At least his bed was large enough for two and then some - there was no way they'd both fit on Ken's tiny ass little twin-size cot.

Ken seemed to think about it for a moment, then shrugged. "It's up to you - but if we go now, don't think I won't expect you to go out with me again."

"What?" Youji was incredulous. Ken raised an eyebrow at him.

"You lost the bet, and that means you owe me a date, Kudou. An hour or two at a club does NOT constitute a whole date. Hell, for all I know you arranged this so you could try to get out of the bet."

Youji echoed the raised eyebrow. "How, exactly, would chaining myself to you for twenty-four hours be an improvement over spending a few hours at a club with you?" Ken shrugged, conceding the point with a chuckle. Youji leaned back, regarding the other man. "This doesn't bother you particularly much, does it?" he asked, lifting their arms slightly.

Ken shrugged again, and a wicked smile danced across his features. Youji had to blink... that smile changed the younger man from the 'boy-next-door' he'd always known into something a bit more... wanton. The change was unexpected. Apparently there were, indeed, a few things he didn't know about his teammate. He swallowed hard, and told himself it was intriguing only because it was such a change from the way the ex-J-League goalie usually came across.

"Hell, you think I'm going to object to being tied to a gorgeous guy for a night?" Ken replied, chuckling sensually. "Not really, no. I'm sorry it happened because it's upsetting you, but it doesn't bother me."

Youji wasn't sure how he felt about knowing that Ken was attracted to him - granted, the other man had been hinting at it all night, but he'd never outright stated it like that. It made him uncomfortable... but it was possible that he might be just the least bit curious, as well. Hell, just because he wondered - objectively! - what it might be like from the other side didn't mean he wasn't straight. And hell, he WAS attractive, and he knew it - and it wasn't like Ken was going to suddenly attack him or something. "So, what, you just want to sit here for a few more hours with our hands tied together?" he asked finally, deciding to avoid the dangerous territory of Ken's attraction to him altogether.

"Hell no," Ken replied, the wicked smile widening a bit. "I'm going dancing again." With that he bounced to his feet, forcibly dragging Youji after him despite the playboy's vehement protests. Youji hadn't realized just how strong Ken really was - the shorter man got him onto the dance floor with not a hell of a lot of effort. Well, there was a reason why Ken was the close-quarters fighter of the group. His weapon didn't take much finesse, but it did require strength to be used properly.

Youji quickly realized that Ken was determined to dance, and that meant Youji had to either dance as well or have his arm yanked out of his socket. He gave in grudgingly, and discovered that the only comfortable way to dance was to treat Ken as his partner and dance WITH him. Taking Ken's earlier advice, he did his best to pretend the smaller man was a girl and gave in to the inevitable.

At least the music was good, Youji had to admit. Hell, if not for the nature of the clientele, he'd probably be adding it to his list of favourite nightclubs in Tokyo by now. Good music, good dance floor, good drinks, and no hours-long line-ups to get inside. And Ken really was a very good dancer... even with their arms bound together, the other assassin was managing to move smoothly to the beat, his movements graceful and enticing. He was drawing more than a few appreciative looks from the other dancers, and Youji was getting his share of jealous glances from men envious of his 'catch'.

Almost absently, Youji studied his 'date' with the same objectivity he'd used to look at the effeminate man earlier. He had to admit, dressed like this, sweat sticking his dark hair to his face and neck, eyes closed as he threw himself into the beat, Ken went from merely 'attractive' to 'fucking sexy'. If they'd been in a normal club, the younger man would have had dozens of women propositioning him. As it was, only the cuffs binding their arms together kept him from receiving just as many propositions from the men around them.

All right, fine... objectively, Ken was attractive. Now, subjectively... was Youji attracted to his teammate? He tried to picture himself kissing the brunette, and the image was disturbingly easy to summon. He couldn't envision anything beyond that, but... how different could kissing a guy really be, after all? Lips were lips, no matter the form of the body they were attached to. It was only below the neck that the differences really started. So, Ken was attractive, and Youji was... curious. Just curious. Hell, everybody got curious at some point in their lives - there had been all sorts of studies proving it. It wasn't anything to get his nose out of joint about.

Then he found himself wondering if Ken would be willing to let him find out firsthand if kissing a guy was any different, and he knew he was in trouble.

"Hey... you getting tired yet?" he yelled to his partner during a brief lull in the music.

Ken tossed his head to get his hair out of his eyes, and sweat dripped down his body, plastering the PVC top even closer to his skin. "Getting there," he called back, shrugging. "Maybe one more dance?" A wicked grin spread over his face, and Youji's heart sank. He was coming to know that grin far too well... know it, and dread it. "Dance with me, Yo-tan."

"I AM dancing with you," Youji replied, having to lean in close to be heard as the music picked up again. He had a sinking feeling he knew where this was going.

Sure enough, Ken shook his head. "No, I mean dance WITH me. Consider it part of your forfeit for the bet. Just close your eyes and pretend I'm a girl, if you have to. C'mon, I haven't been dancing in two years, and I'm not gonna get a chance again any time soon. Indulge me."

"There's nothing stopping you from coming here on your own," Youji pointed out. They were already dancing in such a way they were nearly touching, trying to hear each other.

Ken rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. Picking up strangers at a bar is not my style, thanks." The teasing smile faded, replaced by an almost pleading look. "C'mon, one dance isn't going to kill you, and you're not going to 'catch' being gay from me."

Youji suddenly felt perversely guilty for ruining the man's first night out in two years. Ken was right - one damn dance wouldn't kill him. He tugged on the arm that was connected to Ken's, pulling his startled friend into a closer embrace, and set to dancing with a vengeance. Ken was off balance for a moment, then grinned happily and pressed up against him, giving himself over to the music once more.

Youji could dance with the best of them, when he put his mind to it. He'd seduced many a willing young lady this way. He focused on the rhythm and the beat, on matching his movements to his partner's, and forcibly willed himself to forget he was dancing with a guy.

It worked, to some extent... he quickly discovered that it was easier for him if he danced behind Ken. Males and females weren't all that different from behind, after all. It meant their arms were crossed somewhat awkwardly over Ken's chest, but the smaller man didn't seem to mind... he threw his head back and closed his eyes, the back of his head coming to rest on Youji's shoulder, a look of bliss on his face.

He only realized how WELL he'd managed to forget himself when Ken ground his ass back against Youji's crotch, and the younger man's eyes flew open in shock, staring up at him with a silent question in his gaze. Snapped out of the half-trance he'd put himself into, he realized that Ken's shock was due to the fact that Youji had become aroused... rather extremely aroused, in fact, if the tightness of his pants and the ache in his groin was any indication. Gods, small wonder Ken was looking at him like that... he honestly HAD forgotten who he was dancing with.

He pulled away abruptly, cursing the damn handcuffs when he couldn't get as far away as he would have liked. "That's enough," he gasped, feeling sweat trickling down his back between his shoulder blades and more dripping into his eyes. "That's enough, Ken," he repeated, wanting to demand they get the hell out of there, but afraid the statement would be taken the wrong way. Hell, considering what Ken had just had shoved firmly into his ass, it would almost certainly be taken the wrong way.

Ken, however, was apparently sensitive enough to read Youji's distress in his face. He shoved his hair out of his face, shaking his hand afterwards with a grimace to get rid of the sweat. "Sure, I'm getting tired anyway," he agreed easily, heading towards the exit. "Let's blow this joint... the music is starting to give me a headache."

The shock of the cold air outside hit them like a physical slap to the face. Youji was desperately wishing for a cigarette, but he wanted to get home more. Then again... the thought of what they would be facing when they got back to the Koneko, still chained together, made him reconsider. "Hold up," he said, his ears still ringing faintly from the music. "I need nicotine before I collapse."

Ken made a face but leaned agreeably against the wall a short distance from the door. Youji had to get his help to light the damn cigarette, but once he'd gotten the first lungful, he found himself calming considerably. "Sorry about that," he finally muttered to Ken as he finished and flicked the butt to the ground.

The dark-haired man shrugged. "No worries," he said, apparently realizing Youji was referring to more than the smoke in his face. "Though I wonder if I maybe should be a bit worried about how easy you apparently found it to think of me as a girl." He grinned - his usual easy smile, not the wicked look he'd been gracing Youji with for most of the night.

Youji chose not to answer that - no matter what he said, he'd be wandering onto dangerous ground. "I think we'd better take a cab home," he decided, wincing at the thought of leaving his precious car out here over night. There was no way he could drive with Ken attached to his right arm, though... and no way in HELL was he letting Ken drive his car, especially not one-handed. A cab would just be far less complicated.

"Sounds good to me," Ken agreed, stretching with his free arm. "Gods, I need a shower something awful, though..." he paused, and glanced down at their connected arms. "Er. Maybe not." He flushed, and Youji couldn't help but echo him. The thought of the two of them trying to take a shower together while tied up like this... no, he definitely didn't want to go there.

Still... damn it, they would ruin his silk sheets if they crawled into his bed soaked with sweat like this. And there was STILL no way they'd fit into Ken's bed. So unless they were going to camp out on the floor... he growled. "I am NOT going to bed drenched like this," he declared, trying to sound like it was no big deal. "Hell, it's not like we've never seen each other naked - we've dressed each other's wounds often enough. A quick shower isn't going to kill us."

Ken shot him an unreadable glance, but merely nodded and stepped out to the street to flag down a taxi. He got one amazingly quickly, thankfully. They piled into the backseat, managing to get their seatbelts fastened after some awkward fumbling around. The taxi driver, apparently a regular in this district, watched them with no little amusement until Youji snarled at him to mind the road rather than his passengers.

They were silent as they got to the apartment. Youji couldn't think of a damn thing to say, and Ken apparently sensed that Youji's mood was a bit fragile. They paused outside the bathroom, looking at each other uncertainly. "Ah, fuck it... let's just get it over with," Youji snarled finally, shoving open the door. "It's not like either of us has never taken a shower in front of another guy before."

Ken followed him in somewhat hesitantly, pausing as they reached the shower stall. It was tiny - trying to fit four bedrooms into the small amount of floor space above the Koneko no Sumu had been a challenge, and there hadn't been a lot of room left over. They would be pressed right up against each other - and they would have to wash each other, because with their hands tied they wouldn't be able to do it for themselves. "Uh, Youji..." the younger man glanced down at their bound arms. "How the hell are we going to get our shirts off?"

Youji thought about it, and swore. "We'll have to cut them off, I guess, or just let them hang off the cuffs. Damn it, then they'll get soaked and ruin my sheets anyway. How attached are you to that shirt?"

Ken shrugged. "Not that badly. Don't worry about it." They struggled out of their clothing - undoing their pants was an adventure all in itself, and Youji had to fight very hard not to think about the rather obvious reaction to their dancing that Ken was sporting. Hell, he wasn't doing much better, frankly, but both of them were careful to keep eyes averted and mouths shut.

Finally they managed to get into the shower, the hot water running over their bodies and washing the sticky sweat away. The confines of the tight space were even worse than Youji had feared - they weren't able to keep from brushing against each other as they moved. Ken had the most flaming blush on his cheeks that Youji had ever seen, but he caught the younger man sneaking a few glances as well. He had to admit his own curiosity was growing at a rapid pace - not that he'd never seen another aroused man before, but somehow in this situation it was different. More... personal. Ken's body was trim and athletic - no surprises there. His cock was shorter than Youji's, but wider and darker. When Youji caught himself wondering if the other man was seme or uke, he knew he was in serious trouble.

Well, hell. If Ken had been a girl, he would have said he was becoming infatuated. At the very least, his curiosity was never going to stop bugging him now until he satisfied it, at least in part. "Ken..." he started, then trailed off, unsure what it was he even wanted to say, much less how to say it.

Ken looked up at him, his eyes dark with lust and uncertainty. "Yeah?" he replied, suppressed passion making his voice rough. Youji had to swallow at the sight and sound of him.

"You're gonna take this the wrong way," Youji muttered, dragging his free hand through his hair. He couldn't tear his gaze away from Ken's eyes - they were almost hypnotic in their intensity. Unexpectedly, Ken grinned at him.

"You're curious," the younger man guessed, leaning back against the wall of the shower. "Go ahead, ask me whatever you want. I don't mind."

Youji blinked at him, but was willing to take him at his word. "Is it very different, kissing a guy?"

Ken snickered. "Was every girl you've ever kissed the same?" he countered. "Of course not. Not that I have a hell of a lot of basis for comparison - I've only ever been with Kase and Yuriko, Youji. But I'd imagine that everybody kisses differently." He paused, and tilted his head coyly. "You're welcome to find out, if you like... no strings attached."

Youji couldn't believe he was actually considering it. Then again, how many chances like this would he ever get? Not many guys would be willing to just let him kiss them to find out what it was like. And there weren't many guys he'd be willing to try it with, either, strings or no strings. He braced his free hand against the shower wall beside Ken's head and leaned in. "You sure?" he asked, not certain whether he was stalling for time or honestly concerned about Ken's feelings. "I don't wanna lead you on or something..."

"No worries," Ken assured him, tilting his face up and licking his lips in a way that made Youji's gut tighten. "I don't expect anything from you, Youji. The only one teasing me is me." He gave his wicked smile again, this time tinged with a trace of wistfulness. "And I've been doing that all night, so don't feel like you're causing me problems or something."

Youji closed the distance between them and locked lips with the younger man, feeling the heat coming off Ken's body as they brushed together. It WAS different - Ken's lips were thinner and firmer than a girl's, and he kissed more aggressively than most women - but it was good nonetheless. Very good, actually. Really, incredibly good. Ken was a fantastic kisser. Youji opened his lips and drove his tongue inside the other man's mouth. Ken responded without hesitation, his free hand coming up to clutch at Youji's shoulder as he was pressed back against the cool tiles of the shower wall. "Gods," Youji moaned as he pulled away at last.

Ken's eyes weren't quite focused, and he was panting heavily. "Wow," he muttered, grinning at Youji somewhat foolishly. "Okay, I admit it, you deserve your reputation. Damn."

To be honest, Youji wasn't faring much better. His body was insisting that, male or not, Ken was attractive and available and WILLING, and he really ought to be doing something about it. "It could have been a fluke," he muttered, his brain apparently not in control of his mouth. Well, not the brain that was in his head, anyway.

Ken stared at him, then his grin widened. "You should try it again, just in case," he agreed, almost purring the words as he tilted his face up again. Youji kissed him, and this time it started out open-mouthed and got progressively steamier from there. Ken took the initiative this time, his tongue finding every sensitive spot in Youji's mouth. Youji moaned and crushed the smaller man against him, driving him back into the wall. He felt like he should have been repulsed at the feel of the flat chest and hard erection against his naked body, but it was anything but a turn-off. Okay, so he was definitely curious. Well, hell, he was a self-proclaimed hedonist, right? If it felt good, he was generally willing to give it a try. This felt pretty damn good...

When they were forced to separate for air, Youji dropped his lips down to Ken's vulnerable neck, tasting sweat mingled with clean water from the shower that was still pounding over them. Ken gasped, tightening his hand on Youji's shoulder. "Youji..." he gasped, tilting his head back to give the taller man better access. "You sure you're not forgetting who you're with again? Not that I'm... ah! God... complaining, mind you..."

"I haven't forgotten anything," Youji assured him, his voice vibrating against Ken's throat and making the other man moan. "Unless it's my common sense." The noises Ken was making could in no way be described as 'feminine' - deep, rough groans in the back of his throat, mixed in with small growling noises every time the smaller man tried to use his bound arm to encourage Youji. Despite that, Youji felt intoxicated. Sex with women was a wonderful, beautiful, precious experience, and Youji treated them like the gems and flowers they were. With Ken, there was no delicacy, no need to hold back for fear of leaving bruises, no soft, sweet nothings whispered between them to facilitate the experience. This was lust, pure and primitive.

"Fuck, Youji!" The words burst from Ken's lips as though pulled forcibly out of him. He raked his free hand down over Youji's shoulder and torso, stopping at the small of his back and pulling him closer. The foreign sensation of their cocks rubbing together made Youji jerk back, suddenly skittish. Ken dropped his arm from Youji's body and brought it up to cover his eyes instead. "Shit. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. Looks like I'm the one who's forgetting himself."

Youji stood less than a foot away - as far as he could get in the tight confines of the shower, and considering their arms were still bound together. Ken's head was tilted back to expose his face to the spray, presumably to help calm him down. The younger man was panting hard, chest heaving as he gulped in air, his cock dark and straining with need. Part of him wanted very much to step forward again and take that dripping cock in his hand, find out first hand just how Ken was different from him; but a larger part of him was screaming at him to get the hell out of there before this went any further. He had to work with this man, live with him, KILL with him. They couldn't afford to be awkward around each other, and they would end up that way if this went any farther. The smart thing for them to do would be to go to their own damn rooms, jerk off to get it out of their systems, and then talk about it rationally in the morning.

There was just one problem - they were still bound together from wrist to elbow on one side. They couldn't give each other space to think about it, and they certainly couldn't get the privacy they needed to deal with the demands of their bodies. Ken was practically shaking with need, and Youji wasn't faring much better, despite his knee-jerk reactions. "You're gonna kill me if I stop now, aren't you?" the playboy asked, his voice husky.

Ken lifted his arm just enough to peer out at Youji from underneath with eyes gone dark teal with passion. He shook his head, and when he spoke his voice was even rougher than Youji's had been. "No. I told you, no strings." He laughed, the sound choked with desire. "Though I think I may die of frustration shortly. God damn, Youji, I've never had anybody get me that hot with just a kiss."

"And I suppose the way you were dancing with me before that didn't contribute to it," Youji replied, his rapidly pounding heart matching the drumming of the water in his ears. Ken still looked good enough to eat, braced against the wall with water streaming down over his taut skin, mixing with the thicker liquid seeping from the tip of his erection.

He didn't realize Ken's thoughts were aimed in a similar direction until the younger man reached out hesitantly to slide a hand over Youji's quivering stomach muscles. Green eyes jerked up to lock on aqua as Youji made a sound that was caught somewhere between a protest and an encouragement. "Wh-what are you doing, Ken?"

"You don't look like you're doing much better than I am," Ken said quietly, his expression open and inquiring. His voice had gone breathy, his eyes full of desire. "You could... let me take care of it for you. That wouldn't be so bad, would it? I mean, it's not like I'd be doing anything different than a girl would, right? You could just close your eyes and pretend again..."

Youji reached down and caught his hand just before it reached the top edge of dark curls. "Why?" he demanded bluntly. "Why the hell would you do that, knowing I probably wouldn't return the favour?"

Ken licked his lips, and the sight of his wet pink tongue flickering out was enough to make Youji groan. "Well, that's one reason right there," Ken admitted, smiling that wicked grin of his again. "The noises you make when you forget yourself are absolutely incredible. Better than anything I ever imagined. I LIKE going down on my partner, Youji - guy or girl, I like the feeling that I'm giving something without taking anything for myself." He hesitated, then added softly, "Please? I swear this won't change anything between us. I'm not asking for passionate declarations of love here, Youji. Just... I just want to remember what it feels like to give this kind of pleasure to someone else, even if I can't get any for me. It's still better than doing it alone, you know?"

Youji did indeed know, and Ken's heartfelt words reached him where nothing else would have. Hell, it wasn't like it would be some kind of hardship to let the man blow him. He'd already proven he had a talented mouth... He groaned and threw his head back against the shower wall. "Go ahead," he murmured, twining the fingers of his captive hand through Ken's. The smaller man gave him an incredulous look that quickly changed to an expression of joy - and lust. Stepping forward, Ken stretched up to kiss Youji again, this time being careful to keep the rest of their bodies separate. Youji let his other hand go, and Ken slid it down, combing through the dark curls, deliberately avoiding Youji's straining cock.

"Not a natural blonde after all, Youji?" Ken teased, eyes glinting. Youji growled and swatted at his shoulder. Laughing, Ken ducked the swing and continued the motion downwards as he knelt to get at Youji's erection with his mouth. The action forced their arms to twist in a highly painful way, and Ken halted halfway down, looking up at him with a frustrated expression. "Damn. This isn't gonna work, is it?"

The cuffs were loose enough that Youji was able to turn his arm within them, and he bent his elbow so that his hand was nearly touching his shoulder. That brought Ken's arm up straight, and while it was a bit of a stretch for the smaller man, it wasn't nearly as painful and still allowed Ken to kneel on the floor of the shower. "Better?"

Ken grinned again. "Hell, yeah. Inventive as always, Youji... no wonder the girls are flocking to get a date with you." Before Youji could think of anything to say in reply, Ken lowered his head and the tip of Youji's cock slipped between those talented lips, and the playboy forgot all about speaking. Or even how to speak. Oh, dear sweet gods...

He started off with one long, deep plunge over Youji's cock, taking nearly the entire length inside his mouth. Then he pulled away again, just when Youji was starting to adjust to the feel of that warm, tight wetness around him. Next he drew his mouth away entirely, bringing his free hand up to curl around the base while he licked delicately at the tip like an ice cream cone. He pain special attention to the weeping slit and the large vein along the underside of the shaft, making Youji snap his hips up in an attempt to encourage him to do more. Ken's hand left his cock to stroke over his heavy sac, fondling his balls inside and tugging them gently away from his body. Youji groaned long and loud at the sensation - he'd been with women who were damned good at blow jobs, but none of them had ever been quite this good. Ken knew firsthand what the signals meant, and just how to change what he was doing to give the maximum amount of pleasure.

At some point in the haze Ken's hand left Youji, but the playboy was too far gone to care. He'd been hard to one degree or another since coming down the stairs and seeing Ken in that incredibly sexy outfit, and Youji knew he was too close to the edge after all the teasing to last long. When Ken took him to the root, the tip of Youji's cock shoved right down into his throat, the older man threw his head back and shouted, body tensing as he rode the oncoming wave of orgasm. Ken swallowed once, deliberately, and the rippling motion of his throat muscles pushed Youji right over the edge. He exploded, shouting Ken's name as his hand fisted in the younger man's dark hair and his vision went white at the edges.

Ken milked him for every last drop, kept licked at him as he softened until Youji couldn't stand the stimulation any more. He pulled away with a groan, hearing the sound echoed as Ken gave a frustrated moan. Glancing down, he saw lustful teal eyes staring back at him, the younger boy biting his lip until it bled slightly. "Shit," Ken muttered, moving his free hand to brace against the wall beside Youji's hip. "Sorry... I was hoping to draw it out for you." His voice was rough with need, and his body was shaking with frustrated passion. Only then did Youji realize that Ken had been attempting to quietly bring himself off while going down on Youji - probably hoping to spare the skittish older man the embarrassment of witnessing him doing it.

"Sorry," Youji replied, flushing as he tugged on their bound arms to draw Ken back up to stand beside him. Ken clambered to his feet readily enough, but his knees were apparently a bit shaky. He leaned against the slick wall of the shower, his breath coming fast and hard. Youji could see the pulse pounding in his throat, and the oozing precum the shower was washing away told him the younger man had been damn close to the edge when he'd stopped. "I'm sorry," he said again as Ken looked away, blushing under his frank scrutiny. "I've been hard all damn night, and you're really fucking good at that. I doubt you could have drawn it out much longer no matter what you'd done."

Ken snorted. "First time I've been mad at myself for being good at it," he muttered under his breath. Youji caught the comment, and chuckled.

"Go ahead and finish yourself off," he offered, and Ken snapped disbelieving eyes up to meet his gaze.

"Are you serious?" the younger man blurted out, staring at him. "You... you don't mind? I mean, it's not going to freak you out? I'll live, Youji..."

Youji hushed him by the simple means of kissing him. "After the way you just made me feel? I think I'll manage to deal with you jerking off in front of me, Ken. Go ahead - unless you're embarrassed to know that I'm watching."

From the brunette's heated moan and the way his cock visibly twitched at the words, Youji didn't think the other man was turned off by the idea. Far from it, in fact. Keeping his eyes locked on Youji's - probably to watch for any sign that the playboy would change his mind or be upset by what was happening - Ken slid his free hand down over his own chest. He gasped and his eyes slid to half-mast when he brushed past the tight nubs of his nipples. Past the faint traces of scars from the burns he'd taken years ago, down over a taut, tan stomach, the fingers slid into the nest of dark curls and wrapped around the straining cock nestled in the centre. Ken pumped himself slowly, deliberately - obviously showing off for Youji, rather than finishing himself off as quickly as possible.

Youji found himself drawn to watch the show the other man was putting on, his eyes pulled downwards along the path that hand had taken, stopping at the breathless sight of tan fingers twined tightly over an erection nearly purple with pent-up passion. It was beautiful, beyond sexy. Youji discovered that he wanted to touch it, to lay his fingers over Ken's, and he gave in to the impulse. Ken gasped again when Youji's fingers touched him, and his eyes closed completely as he threw his head back against the wall.

This time there was no sense of wrongness, no feeling of panic as he explored the root of what made Ken different from all the women Youji had slept with. Youji's body began to respond to the erotic sight, recovering faster than he had since he'd been a teenager. Experimentally he leaned in, pressing their bodies together in the way that had driven him to pull away before. This time he felt nothing but excitement, and a sort of thrill shot through him at the way Ken moaned as their hips ground together. He realized he desperately wanted to possess this passionate young man, wanted to drive into him and mark him from the inside out. Youji lowered his head and growled into the younger man's ear. "Ken... gods, you're sexy. I want... I want to take you. May I?"

"Oh God, do you really have to ask?" Ken gasped out, thrusting up into his grip wildly. "Demo... you're too big for me, Youji, and it's been too long since I've been taken. If you try to do it without lube, you'll hurt me."

Youji drew his hand away from Ken's cock, eliciting a protesting whine from the younger man as he reached out and fished among the shelves of shampoo and bath soaps. "C'mon, I know it's in here," he growled as he knocked over a couple of bottles in his haste. At least his fingers closed over a small tube, and he drew it out triumphantly, displaying it to Ken.

The soccer player's eyes widened as he stared from the tube to Youji's face. "You... you didn't..." he murmured, choking on his amazement. Youji chuckled and shook his head, tapping Ken lightly on the nose with the tube.

"No, baka, it's not mine. I found it the other day when I knocked over all the bottles by accident. I assume it belongs to Omi and Aya."

Ken flushed a brilliant shade of red, though he grinned widely at Youji's words. "Yeah, probably. I swear, I bet you we could find these stashed all over the place. Those two are like minks. Who'd have thought Omi would turn out to be such a sex kitten?"

"The only sex kitten I'm concerned with at the moment is a certain Siberian," Youji murmured, leaning in to bite at Ken's earlobe. The smaller man shuddered beneath him, and moaned. Youji fumbled with the tube for a moment, before realizing it would be impossible to open one-handed. "Ah, fuck. Give me a hand here, would you?"

Snickering, Ken reached up to help him get the cap unscrewed. Youji squeezed the tube and a generous portion squirted out onto Ken's fingers. He lowered his hand to Youji's rapidly hardening cock, bringing it to full attention with a couple of quick, oiled strokes. "Good enough," Ken gasped after just a few passes, pulling his hand away to brace himself against the shower walls. "Do it, Youji, before I die of frustration or you change your damn mind again!"

Youji was happy to oblige, lifting Ken with his free hand until the smaller man could wrap his legs around Youji's waist. Pinning him to the wall with his heavier bulk, Youji used his free hand to position himself and drove slowly forward, mindful of Ken's reactions to the intrusion.

The last thing on Ken's mind seemed to be a protest of any sort, unless it was against the slow pace Youji was setting. "Fuck, Youji, just do it!" he cried out, his free hand coming up to clutch at Youji's shoulder once more. "I can't stand it any more..."

Youji obliged him, pushing all the way in and pausing for only a moment to adjust to the feeling. It was tighter than anything he'd ever felt before, the muscles ringing the entrance squeezing him in a way guaranteed to drive him mad within minutes. He pulled out and thrust forward again, and again, as Ken rocked up to meet him each time with a wild moan. The younger man was close, too close to the edge - he would come within moments and leave Youji pounding into him alone. Youji reached down and tried a trick one or two of his girlfriends had used on him before - he clamped down on the base of Ken's cock tightly, closing him off like a human cock ring.

"FUCK!" Ken screamed, clawing at Youji's shoulder in protest. "God, Youji, you're killing me," he whimpered, a single tear sliding down over his cheek to mix with the streams of water from the shower. "Let me come," he begged, squirming futilely in Youji's grip.

"Not yet," Youji panted, stepping up the pace a notch. "I want you to come with me, Ken." Despite Youji's earlier release, thankfully for Ken it didn't look like it would take the older man long to reach the peak again. Ken's ass was the sweetest, tightest thing he'd ever felt in his life, and his body was reacting as though he were still a damn teenager.

"I can't, I c-can't stand it... Youji, oh God PLEASE I need it, I need to come, please let me come," Ken continued to beg, the words and the desperate tone pulling hard at Youji's cock. He thrust harder as Ken pleaded with him piteously. "Fucking hell, Youji, let go, let me come, I need it so bad, God Youji!" His words trailed off into an incoherent groan as he thrashed frantically in Youji's arms.

Youji felt himself approaching the edge for the second time that night, and he relented. The moment his grip loosened Ken came with a scream of agonized ecstasy, his muscles tightening painfully around Youji's oversensitive cock as he came all over Youji' s hand. It was enough to push the older man over the line, his seed pumping deep into Ken's body as they convulsed together for an eternal moment.

They slid to the floor together, Youji's legs unable or unwilling to support both their weight any longer. The water, now slowly turning cool, washed over them, cleaning away the outward traces of their passion. Ken opened dazed eyes to gaze up at him, blinking slowly like a satisfied cat. "Holy... shit..." he whispered, voice rough after the way he'd been screaming.

Youji considered that statement, and found he really had nothing to add. "Yeah," he agreed wearily, slumping against Ken's shoulder as his softening cock fell free of the other man's limp body. "That about sums it up."

"So..." Ken gave him a tired approximation of his earlier wicked grin. "Does that mean you'd be willing to do it again sometime?"

"Only if we manage to get out of here before the water goes completely freezing," Youji muttered, hefting himself slowly to his feet and pulling Ken up with him. "Thank all the gods we've got an extra-large water heater."

Ken laughed and stood, reaching out to twist off the taps. "Yeah. No kidding. So... what now?"

"Bed," Youji said definitively. "Before we both pass out. And yeah, I might consider doing this again sometime... given the right incentive," he added, smirking. "I'll be the first to admit it when I've made a mistake - and apparently I was a bit mistaken about how straight I was. Or at least, I'm willing to let you continue to try to change my mind about it."

Ken snickered and snagged a couple of the large, fluffy towels Omi insisted the bathroom be stocked in. "I'll do my best - in the interest of gay guys everywhere. That was damn amazing, especially for your first try with a guy."

They dried each other off and staggered down the hall into Youji's bedroom, collapsing together on the bed. After a few moments of awkward squirming, they managed to find a comfortable position that didn't strain their bound arms. "So..." Ken muttered sleepily. "Think Aya and Omi will be shocked to see us come out of your room together? Especially since we aren't going to be able to get any shirts on?"

"They won't be back until evening, baka," Youji reminded him, barely able to keep his own eyes open. Between the dancing and the fantastic sex, the other man had done quite a thorough job of wearing him out.

"What makes you think you're going to be getting out of bed any time earlier than that?" Ken mumbled, the last words trailing off as he fell soundly asleep, snoring softly against Youji's shoulder. Youji chuckled, and closed his own eyes, letting that pleasant thought send him off to his dreams.


End file.
